


A Common Occurrence

by randommindtime



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Dog Tags, Gate Room, Humor, Team Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-09
Updated: 2016-09-09
Packaged: 2018-08-14 03:22:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7996771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randommindtime/pseuds/randommindtime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some things were becoming rather ingrained</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Common Occurrence

“What do you think?” Ronon asked as he examined the cartridge of his gun, blowing across its side to rid some dried ignition residue from the red plastic. “Super villains?”

Teyla gazed upwards at the gate room ceiling, contemplating as she rested her hands on her clipped P-90. “Perhaps...the merits of skateboards vs. scooters?”

Ronon snorted. “Yeah, that was a good one, huh?” He clicked the cartridge back into place and flipped his gun closed, looking over to exchange a smirk as Teyla shook her head.

“I have never seen two grown men be so passionate about juvenile modes of transportation before.”

“Careful,” Ronon warned, lazily spinning his gun once, then twice, without looking down. “You know how they both get about that.”

“And I do not understand why. It is a compliment among my people to be seen as young, since we are forced to grow up so quickly.”

“Yeah, well, I think they see it as being immature.”

Teyla opened her mouth to respond when the side doors to the gate room opened and the aforementioned voices came streaming loudly into the open space.

_“No, no, no, no.”_

_“Come on, Rodney, you know that’s not true!”_

_“No, it is true, you just don’t want to accept it.”_

Teyla side-eyed Ronon who raised an eyebrow in response.

“Mess food,” Ronon wagered as Rodney and Sheppard approached.

Teyla cocked her head and smiled. “Technology,” she called and Ronon nodded in acknowledgement, holstering his gun.

_“- as if you were some kind of primitive anthropologist.”_

“All other science is not junk just because you say it is,” John stated before exchanging nods with both Ronon and Teyla. He was still in the middle of adjusting his tact vest, hands methodically going over pockets and zippers in a subconscious rhythm born from repetition and time. Rodney on his part was checking his watch as he adjusted his jacket sleeves, completing their small circle.

“Just because I think the military is ass backwards when it comes to understanding what makes a person tick does not mean I don’t have the right to judge other inferior sciences for what they are.”

His audience went quiet, all three team members staring at him with usual confusion over his logic.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Ronon asked, eyeing McKay with puzzled amusement. Rodney looked up at him and sighed, letting his shoulders and arms drop dramatically before he gestured at John.

“Mr. Psych 101 here is trying to explain to me why I might want to wear dog tags in the future.”

Both Teyla and Ronon seemed intrigued, abandoning their earlier bet, and looked to John.

“I’ve explained their purpose to you both before,” he said, finally clipping on his P-90. “Rodney has apparently started to label his clothes incase he ever needs to be identified post-wraith-encounter and I tried to explain to _Mr. Paranoid 101_ that there was already an established and accepted way to do that.”

“Yes, and _I_ tried to impress upon _you_ that I don’t really want a constant reminder of my own mortality hanging around my neck!”

“Is it not also a symbol of unity and commitment?” Teyla inquired to them both, eliciting an enthusiastic reaction from John.

“Exactly!”

“I’m no doughboy, Colonel.”

“That’s debatable, Fat Man,” Ronon smirked.

“ _Oh, bravo_ ,” Rodney fake-enthused as he started to slow clap, turning slightly in place to address the room. “ _Mr. Humor here, everybody_.”

A gate personnel passing by to his left rolled their eyes, unamused.

“ _I’m just saying_ ,” John insisted through a slight glare at Rodney. “It’s better than writing ‘Meredith was here’ on all of your belongings.”

“Comedians all around today,” Rodney grumped as he gave a final tug at the hem of his jacket.

“If the wraith _were_ to cull you, Rodney, there would be little chance of us ever finding your body anyways,” Teyla drily explained.

Ronon turned to the right to hide a grin.

John gave her an amused, raised eyebrow look.

Rodney paled.

_“Thanks for that.”_

Teyla smiled overly sweetly as Ronon crossed his arms and silently supported her, raising his eyebrows at Rodney who turned deeply annoyed. He crossed his arms back at them both, back straightening as his chin jutted up all while John watched on with suppressed amusement.

 _“Alright,”_ he said through a sigh, the standard shorthand for _‘let’s shut up now, children, and get this show on the road’_ before calling up to the command center. “Chuck?”

The team turned towards the balcony and watched as the technician came forward.

“Colonel?”

“Dial us up.”

“You go it.”

They took practiced steps backwards, beyond the puddle line, and watched as the gate dialed, locked, and then came to life.

“You’re still wrong about the anthro thing, by the way,” John said casually before taking a step forward towards the gate, leaving Rodney in his wake.

“I am not!” Rodney insisted, taking 2 quick steps to catch up, arguing straight through the puddle. Ronon followed, walking backwards as he gave Teyla a look.

“Double or nothing it still comes up.”

She bowed her head, contemplating for a moment as she shadowed his steps, and then nodded with a smirk just before they disappeared through the event horizon.


End file.
